19-year-old dies from Toxic Shock Syndrome. Now Her Mother is Pleading With Lawmakers

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The post 19-year-old dies from Toxic Shock Syndrome. Now Her Mother is Pleading With Lawmakers appeared first on Healthy Holistic Living.

Teen Dies from Toxic Shock Syndrome

When Dawn Massabni’s daughter, Madalyn, flew home for her birthday in March 2017, Dawn had no idea that it was the last birthday they’d celebrate together. The day after her birthday, Madalyn experienced a severe and mysterious illness, suddenly passing away. Her official cause of death was Toxic Shock Syndrome. (1)

Madalyn came home to Rumson, New Jersey to celebrate her 19th birthday with her family. She was studying fashion at Lynn University in Florida. The teen, known as Maddy, dreamed of one day working backstage at fashion shows. (1)

Sudden and Mysterious Illness

March 27 was Maddy’s birthday, and she went out to dinner with her mother. When they got home after dinner, Maddy wasn’t feeling well, and she got sick. She decided to rest, hoping she would feel better. Dawn told her they’d call the doctor in the morning if she wasn’t feeling better. (1)

“The next morning she could hardly respond to me and she couldn’t speak,” Dawn told Good Morning America “I don’t even know if she knew who I was and I called 911 right away.” (1)

Maddy had experienced a seizure by the time first responders arrived. Dawn recalls that as she held her daughter in her arms, Maddy had a heart attack and stopped breathing. Maddy was rushed to the hospital, and doctors attempted to revive her. Her condition continued to worsen, and her family decided to take her off ventilators the next day. Maddy passed away on March 30, just three days after turning 19. (1)

When this sudden illness came on, Maddy was on her period and using tampons. Doctors ruled her official cause of death as Toxic Shock Syndrome. (1)

Toxic Shock Syndrome

Toxic Shock Syndrome is a multisystem disease caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. While rare, if left untreated, it can be fatal – as was the case for Maddy. (2)

Toxic Shock Syndrome is most commonly associated with tampon use, but anyone can get it. It can occur in people in association with wounds and burns or after surgery. For menstruating women using tampons, leaving a tampon in for too long can cause Toxic Shock Syndrome. (2)

“The culprit seems to be these super-absorbent tampons and it seems to be time-related, meaning the longer it’s in, the more of a chance it happens,” Dr. Jacques Moritz told Good Morning America. “Bacteria causes it. [If] super-absorbent ones are going to stay in longer, the longer you can forget that it is in. And if you don’t have leak-throughs, women could forget.” Dr. Mortitz is the medical director of Tia Women’s Health Clinic in New York. (1)

Dr. Moritz also said that women who use tampons should know the signs and symptoms of Toxic Shock Syndrome so they can get medical attention as soon as possible. These symptoms include (1, 2)

sudden high fever
nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea
abnormally low blood pressure
a skin rash that looks like a bad sunburn

Advocating for Education on Toxic Shock Syndrome

Since losing her daughter, Dawn Massabni has started a 501(c)(3) organization called ‘Don’t Shock Me’. She travels to schools and universities to educate on Toxic Shock Syndrome and safe tampon use. (1)

Dawn is also advocating that the FDA require more robust warnings on tampon packages. These include a larger warning than the one currently required on the outside of the box. She is also asking that the signs and symptoms of Toxic Shock Syndrome be included on the inside box flap, rather than just on the paper insert included in the box. (1)

“There are [bold] warnings for things like cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs – we want tampons to have those same type of warnings,” Dawn said to Good Morning America. “It’s a horrible death that can be prevented. Families don’t recover from this. I want her back.” (1)

The post 19-year-old dies from Toxic Shock Syndrome. Now Her Mother is Pleading With Lawmakers appeared first on Healthy Holistic Living.

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